Friday, October 31, 2008

Pink Impact Women's Conference 2009....


Pink Impact '09 will be an incredible women's conference. Our very own pastor, Robert Morris, will be one of the speakers. This is one of the very few events you will see him address at a women's conference. He will have a very poignant message for us women, so please do not miss it. The other 2 speakers are Marily Hickey and Holly Wagner, who represents the mother generation and daughter generation. Marily Hickey has a worldwide ministry and is an anointed teacher. Holly Wagner is the author of "GodChicks", has a passion to see women become who God has designed them to be. She is a thirty-something mother of 2.
Make sure you register at pinkimpact.com for $70.00 before December 31, 2008 before the rate goes up.


I am organizing the team that will hand out gifts to attendees, please let me know if you are interested in being a part of it. Who wouldn't love you when you are handing out "free" gifts? There is a discounted rate for volunteers also. Childcare will be offered for the first time. All the details can be found at pinkimpact.com.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

My great-grandfather was killed by the communists... and I say "no" to Marxism, socialism and the like...

As many of you, I've been reading and listening to what's going on regarding the election. Let me just share something here about redistribution of wealth.

When Barack Obama says that people should spread their wealth around to help the poor. Well, it's nice to have someone offer the needy help out of his/her own heart, it's another when the government "taxes" (merely taking it from the people, another word "confiscates"), that becomes the problem.

I've seen some of the laziest workers in China when I traveled there growing up. They got paid the same whether they worked hard or not, absolutely no incentive nor motivation to strive for better. They simply don't work more than the minimum required. They've become robotic, hopeless and bitter at the fact that the rich are the priviledged, and therefore some have believed they should be punished.

My great-grandfather was a bourgoise in China, which is one of the groups the Communists persecuted simply for their wealth. He was also a high government official at one point, a very educated one. So, that's 3 strikes against him. The Communists ended his life by confiscating everything he'd owned and made him and his wife walk on broken glass on his knees until he died. It was one of the common forms of persecution. When I try to picture that today, I crinch everytime I hear this U.S. Presidential candidate, Barack Obama, say that the government should have to right to spread the people's wealth. That's essentially what the Communists did to my great-grandfather, his wealthy taken for government use.

Jesus says in the book of Matthew, chapter 25 verse 29, "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away." referring to what we do with the resources God has given us. As Paul (my husaband, not the apostle :) ) says, if you take away everything from Warren Buffet, he'll be a rich man again sometime soon because he knows how to make money and invests; but if you give a poor man a million dollar, he'll be poor again soon. As the saying goes, "Give a man a fish, he's fed for a day, teach him how to fish, he'll be fed for a lifetime."

How profoundly true that is!! When we start taking responsibilities for our own actions, that's when true transformation begins. When those that moan and groan all day "Woe is me!!!" and are always looking for a hand-out, they'll never look into themselves to grow out of the current situation. It's a vicious cycle, and a very sad and empty inheritance they pass onto their children.

I do not wish to teach that kind of unproductive and toxic thinking to my children. They'll always know and understand the principle that the Lord teaches us in the Good Book, "You reap what you sow!"

And like how we don't believe when the telemarkers call to tell us, "You have won an extravagent vacation! A million dollars .....!" (since there's no free lunch!!), don't believe for a second when a politician promises everything under the sun because ...there is a price to pay... sooner or later.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

New beautiful banner for my blog

Thanks to my friend, Michelle Bentham, I now have a new beautiful banner for my blog!!

Chef-approved Banana Muffins....Yummy!!

Okay, I am in my baking season again... I get that periodically; just so drawn to bake, usually the easy stuff, that won't get my hands too dirty. I prefer the "not even have to get my mixer out" type of baking. I was tired of buying over-priced and un-nutritious muffins, and decided to make some healthy ones that are good enough to be healthful breakfast...


Well, here it is-- truly Chef-approved!! :)

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Mix all 4 wet ingredients:
-- 4 large (or 5 medium) ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 C sugar (I use evaporated cane juice... sugar, better for you)
1 egg
1/3 C butter, melted
Mix all 4 dry ingredients:
-- 1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C flour (healthier version: unbleached wheat flour, replace a few teaspoons of flour with flax seed meal to give you some good Omega 3)

Then, mix the wet and dry mixture together. Add in 1/2 to 1 C chopped nuts if you'd like. Line medium-sized muffin tin with muffin liners. Pour muffin dough into muffin tin, and bake for about 20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when you stick it in.

Voila! You have some amazing banana muffins. My kids and husband can't get enough of them. They are really easy to make, let me know what you think.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Shalom to you all....

Here's an article by David Silver, that I came across about the Hebrew word, "Shalom". It's so rich, it helps us to begin to understand the richness of one of Jesus' names -- "Sar Shalom" -- The Prince of Peace... So, read on...

The Hebrew word SHALOM is understood around the world to mean peace. But peace is only one small part of the meaning of the word SHALOM. Here in Israel, even though we don't have much in the way of peace, we use the word SHALOM on a daily basis. We use it to greet people with, and we use it to bid farewell to people. However, SHALOM means much more than peace, hello or goodbye.

Strong's Concordance 7965 - Hebrew Shalom ..... A word study in the New King James version for SHALOM says: Completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord.

Shalom comes from the root verb Shalom meaning to be complete, perfect and full. In modern Hebrew the obviously related word Shelem means to pay for, and Shulam means to be fully paid.

Sar SHALOM (Prince of Peace) is one of the descriptive names the Bible uses to indicate the ministry and personality of the Messiah: Isaiah 9:6 - The Son of God is completely perfect in all things.

So in essence, when you speak out the word SHALOM - you are not only proclaiming peace, but all the above meanings of the word over that person - that's a mighty blessing!!!

Remember what the word of God says - "there is life or death in the power of the tongue".

We recently heard someone on a Christian TV program say: "No wonder the Jewish people are so blessed, because every time they say Shalom to one another, they are also allowing the full meaning (see above) of SHALOM to be pronounced over them. He humorously proceeded to say that this greeting word would be much more beneficial to the American people if they greeted each other with SHALOM instead of their usual "Hi" or "Howdy" greeting. As Josie and I adapted to life in Israel, we adapted to the SHALOM habit over the "Hi" habit....As Messianic Jews, we are called to bless you and we take that very seriously, by praying for you and by greeting you with SHALOM. Therefore, from now on, when we or someone says SHALOM to you, you should receive it as a tremendous blessing. And bless them back with a hearty SHALOM!"

Numbers 6:24-26: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His face upon you and give you SHALOM. In the name of SAR SHALOM - the Prince of Peace.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Our M & M's

I'm blogging!!!!!!! Knowing my Father...

I am finally bringing myself to start writing here. I hope someone is reading it. I'll be writing on what's been going on in our lives, and all the new tips I find from cleaning to skin care. So, tune in...


Well, it's all for my Father's glory. Some of you know that I didn't grow up with a father, so the term "father" was foreign to me for quite a while.

Seeing my friends' stories of how their parents fight and didn't get along, and having distant relationships with their fathers, I was relieved that I didn't have one. I only needed to go to one person, my mom-my hero, to get permission for something. I never had to hear fights between my parents, I merely had one. Not until recently that God has shown me how deeply buried my emotions were about my father. And I have a loving Father in Him, and He's always been there for me and will always be. He has helped me understand what a father's role is designed to be by giving me the best father I know (Paul) to be my husband to model for our children. Some of the world's bad models of fatherhood should not destroy what God has intended fatherhood for His children on this earth.

I was a foreign exchange student in the little town of Tuscumbia, Alabama many years ago, which is how God brought me here into this country from Hong Kong where I grew up- that changed the course of my life.

My best friend in high school was Karen Jones, and I got to stay with her and her family through some parts of my college years. Her mom and dad, Debra and Dwight, became my surrogate parents here. Dwight taught me how to drive, helped me purchase my very first car (paid for by my mother), and they were there for me after every car accident I had, and there were quite a few (talk about staying away from the Chinese girl on the road...well, half of them were not my fault), and talked to as a father to a daughter.
Nevertheless, that was my experience of seeing a father's love firsthand.
Our Father is amazing, ask Him to show you how He loves you as a father, and truly experience Him in that role. He is faithful and will change your life, He has changed my life forever!